Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Increases Stake in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) by 2.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,138,062 shares of the casino operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 46,608 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned 0.29% of Las Vegas Sands worth $109,811,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the third quarter worth about $26,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in Las Vegas Sands during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 73.5% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 583 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 247 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Las Vegas Sands in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in Las Vegas Sands in the third quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 39.16% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $66.00 to $62.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $51.00 to $49.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Las Vegas Sands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $60.00 to $69.00 in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $60.00 to $59.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $61.00 to $58.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Las Vegas Sands presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $59.42.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:LVS opened at $44.99 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.35, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.74. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $45.34 and a 200-day moving average price of $47.49. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 52-week low of $36.62 and a 52-week high of $56.61.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The casino operator reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by ($0.04). Las Vegas Sands had a return on equity of 45.82% and a net margin of 12.80%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Las Vegas Sands Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This is a boost from Las Vegas Sands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.22%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.76%.

Las Vegas Sands Company Profile

Las Vegas Sands Corp., together with its subsidiaries, develops, owns, and operates integrated resorts in Macao and Singapore. It owns and operates The Venetian Macao Resort Hotel, the Londoner Macao, The Parisian Macao, The Plaza Macao and Four Seasons Hotel Macao, Cotai Strip, and the Sands Macao in Macao, the People’s Republic of China; and Marina Bay Sands in Singapore.